Essential Components S:0 Ep:6
by Lina Cross
Summary: Everyone seems to have put their differences behind them, but Cooper still can't catch a break. Sheppard uses an offworld mission to prove his lieutenant is still the same person, but all the while she fights a battle with herself. The team being separated in the midst of a revolution doesn't help matters.
1. Chapter 1

"Then he opened fire."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "And did he actually…?"

"No, no. The rabbit got away, much to Ronon's fury," Sheppard said. "I think he spooked it just about as bad as it spooked him."

She laughed, and he smiled back. "Well, I'm glad you seem to have some amount of influence on him. He doesn't seem so… untamed in your presence."

He shrugged. "You just gotta talk to him like a normal guy. He is a normal guy, he just happens to also be able to kill people with his pinky."

She smiled, but it didn't last long. He noticed immediately when it began to fade. "Ronon's jangled nerves aside, I actually need to talk to you about something."

Sheppard straightened up in his chair. "I'm all ears."

She pressed her lips together, feeling a sense of embarrassment and guilt for what she had to do. "Colonel Caldwell told me he informed you about Lieutenant Cooper's impending promotion."

He nodded. "Yeah, good for her. Don't get a lot of navy recruits around here. A commander will have a little more knowledge on heading a ship, even if it is in space."

Elizabeth gave a hesitant nod. "Yes, well… don't go telling her about the promotion just yet."

His brow furrowed. "Why? Planning a surprise party?"

"No…. We're just… holding off for now."

Now he was really confused. "Why? I thought she was ready. That whole thing with keeping Atlantis together when-"

"We are fully aware of her skills and achievements," she said quickly. "However, she has been a bit emotionally compromised lately and-"

"Emotionally compromised? What, because practically dying shouldn't have traumatized her? She's functioning way better than most people would be."

"But the fact remains that she's not functioning well enough," Elizabeth insisted gently. "She's prone to panic attacks now, we can't have that happen if she is in control of a vessel."

"She's _fine_," Sheppard said. Cooper deserved a promotion more than almost anyone he knew. He wasn't gonna let a few jitters ruin everything for her.

But then he looked more carefully at Elizabeth and he knew there was something she wasn't saying. "This is about the chamber thing, isn't it?" he asked. Before she could answer, he shook his head. "You think there's something wrong with her, don't you?"

"No, I-"

"Trust me, I've been around her enough to know there's nothing different. A little more freaked out than usual, maybe, but that's normal. She's not compromised."

Elizabeth straightened her posture, looking Sheppard in the eye. "Regardless, it is not your decision to make. I'm seeing a potential problem and I'm avoiding it. I was not asking your permission, I was informing you so you wouldn't get Lieutenant Cooper's hopes up."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. From his perspective - which saw a lot more of Cooper than Elizabeth did - Cooper was completely ready to take the title of lieutenant commander. And he thought Atlantis' leader was being unfair by not taking his word into account. But she outranked him, and there was nothing he could do. "Fine," he said with irritation. "I won't say anything. We have a mission tomorrow. You can see how reliable Cooper is then." He got out of his chair and left the office, not looking back.

Elizabeth sighed, watching him go. She wondered how long this secret would torture her. There was no way she could reasonably promote Cooper, possessed as she was. Regardless of Ayallah swearing her peaceful intent, Elizabeth couldn't take chances. She was already taking a huge risk by keeping the secret in the first place. She wished desperately she could tell John, but she was afraid that, when she did, he might see Cooper as compromised, too. And she knew from experience that when the colonel sidelined a team member, it could hurt them worse than she ever could. For now, she just had to let things play out and hope for the best.

**. . .**

There was a heavy thud as Cooper was pinned to the floor, her arm twisted painfully behind her back. "Ah, uncle, uncle!" she cried.

Ronon let go, stepping back. "Uncle?"

She rolled over, regaining her breath. "It's an Earth thing. It kind of means 'I surrender.'"

He reached down and pulled her up, still looking confused. "You should never surrender."

She laughed. "I do if it gets you to not break my arm."

He rolled his shoulders. "Alright. Wanna go again? I guarantee you won't make me say uncle."

She shook her head. "I don't doubt that, you walking sack of muscle and rage. But sure, I'll go again."

He grinned. He felt that was an apt description and might ask her to repeat it later so he could use it for introductions. He allowed her to go first, seeing as he'd beaten her last time, and he was pleased to see her execute a move he'd taught her. He was less pleased that it worked. Her knee came up into his forehead as he ducked, and when he tried to flip her with an arm under her bent knee, she threw her arms out and flipped back to her feet.

"You're learning."

"I pay attention."

And he agreed with that sentiment. Since she decided she was brave enough to spar with Ronon, she had picked up the odd move here and there. And he admired her attitude, though he thought maybe she chose to submit too soon sometimes. Ever since he'd met her, he'd seen that she refused to push past her limits. Lucky for her, pushing limits was Ronon's specialty.

"Okay, you win!" she called. He had her suspended over the mat, both arms in his grip and twisted painfully.

"I haven't won yet, you haven't hit the floor," he told her.

"I'm about to!"

"Not if you get out of my grip."

"Yeah, and how do you suggest I do that?"

"You figure it out."

She stared at the floor, finding that it was very hard to breath in this position. He'd probably wait all day for her to make a move. She couldn't break his hold like this, but she could throw him off balance. It would hurt for both of them, but no pain, no gain. She lifted her feet off the floor, forcing Ronon to take on all her weight. Normally, he would be able to do that with ease, but in his current position, it caused him to tip over. They both hit the floor, and that's when his grip broke. She rolled away, regaining her feet and assuming a fighting position.

"See?" he said, getting up. "You give up too soon." He grabbed a few poles from the rack and threw one at her. She wasn't so good at these, but she caught it and prepared for battle.

A battle which didn't last very long. She wasn't exactly winning when, one wrong move and an uppercut later, she was flat on her back with a bleeding head wound.

"Sorry," Ronon said.

"It's fine," she said tightly, a hand clamped to her forehead.

"Maybe you should have cried uncle."

She couldn't tell if he was making fun of her or offering genuine advice. Probably the former. She got unsteadily to her feet, stumbling a bit on her way to the door. "Do you need me to help you?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine," she said, waving him off as he left the room.

Ronon felt a little embarrassed. Yes, he liked pushing limits. But the lieutenant wasn't nearly as strong as he was and maybe he could have gone a little easier.

Sheppard caught up with Cooper as she was making her way to the infirmary. He noticed the blood and pale complexion straight away. "Cooper! You okay?" he asked, jogging up to her.

"Seeing stars, sir."

"Ronon get you?"

She nodded and allowed him to pry her hand away from her head. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Yeah, got you pretty good. How about I make sure you get to the infirmary?"

"That's very kind of you, sir."

He put a hand on her shoulder and began walking with her, hoping she wouldn't pass out or anything along the way. She seemed alright, however, aside from the bloody wound. "You've been… alright, haven't you?"

"Aside from the odd bumps and bruises, sir, I've been fine."

"I mean, _I_ know you're fine, but since the whole chamber escapade people have been a little…." He paused, wondering how best to word it. "Confused."

She looked at him. "Confused? Are people talking about me, sir? What do they say?"

He shook his head. "No, no, nothing bad. All good things, all good things."

She didn't look convinced.

"Really, no, it's just…. Well, you were kind of half dead, Cooper. And then you were fine. And then the Wraith wanting the site for themselves, it looks a little…. I mean, put yourself in their shoes, they're-"

"How about walking in _my _shoes, sir," she said, stopping so she could look at him. "I didn't ask for this, I don't know what's going on. I'm just as scared as the rest of them."

That was not a comforting reply. But he'd bothered her enough, so he thought it might be tactful to drop the subject.

They arrived at the infirmary in silence, where Carson immediately made a noise of disapproval. "Lieutenant, there is no 'Frequent Patient' card for me to stamp. You don't get a prize for being here all the time."

She forced a grin. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

"Actually, I can." He turned to Sheppard. "You need to keep a better eye on her, I'm only human."

"I can't make any promises," he said, handing her off to the doctor.


	2. Chapter 2

In the early hours of the morning, Colonel John Sheppard was not always the brave-faced team leader everyone believed he was. This morning in particular he was up an hour before his alarm, his mind too busy to sleep. On mission days, he would normally wake up too early, worrying about the outcome regardless of the simplicity of the mission. The fact was, nothing stayed simple for long in Pegasus.

His conversation with Cooper hadn't helped things. He was getting uneasy himself, wondering just what the hell was happening. He didn't like this anxiety, this _waiting_ for something to break. He'd rather just know what the problem was, if there was a problem at all.

With a heavy sigh, he dragged himself out of bed and began getting dressed. A kernel of doubt was niggling at him, like he was expecting the day to go horribly, horribly wrong.

Or maybe he was just hungry.

The transporter dropped him off near the mess hall, so he grabbed a piece of fruit and a cup of coffee before heading over to the briefing room. He was first there, so sat down and spun around a few times in a chair while he waited.

Elizabeth entered only a few minutes later, and she looked surprised to see him. "John. You're early."

He gave her a smile, but didn't feel it. He was still not exactly happy with her. "Haven't been off-world in a few days. I'm ready to stretch my legs."

"Running headlong through the city isn't enough leg stretching for you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He made a face. "You know what I mean."

"Good morning, Colonel Sheppard. Dr. Weir," Cooper acknowledged as she walked in, a band-aid across her brow. She was followed almost immediately by Teyla and Ronon. Sheppard noticed Elizabeth avoiding eye contact with his lieutenant. Good. Maybe if she felt guilty enough she'd change her mind.

"No McKay yet?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, you know McKay. He probably fell asleep in the lab and they have to go wake him up," Sheppard said dryly.

"I heard that, Sheppard," Rodney said as he entered the room. "And, no, I was having Zelenka help me shift things around on the power grid to divert more energy to the shields should we need it."

"Are we having problems with that?" Sheppard asked.

"No, but it's better to be safe than sorry. The ZPM can only take so much, and with the Wraith surprising us at every turn, we need to be ready."

The colonel nodded, hating to be reminded of yet another constant issue. "Oh. Good. Let me know how it goes."

"Yes, I'll report my every move to you, Colonel."

"Let's start the briefing, shall we?" Elizabeth said.

"Right." Rodney hit a few buttons on his ever-present tablet and directed everyone's attention to the screen on the wall. "Planet P5X - 986. Looks like a mining planet, making most of their profits trading the metals and gemstones they get out of the earth there. Very rich in what we're calling lapis nulla. We think it might be what the zero-point modules are made out of, and at the very least they can store and generate power."

"How much power?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not as much as a ZPM, but enough to bring power to smaller devices so we can focus our ZPM on more important things, like the shield." He lowered the the tablet. "We've already had preliminary communication with the leader and he knows we're coming."

She nodded. "It's not earth-shattering, but every little bit helps. You can offer to trade medicine. If they don't have need of it, we can negotiate something else. Just get your foot in the door and let them know we're interested."

"Yes, ma'am," Sheppard said.

"Zelenka and I should be finished with the rerouting in about an hour, then we're good to go," McKay said, shutting off the screen.

"Good. And I'll expect to see you home in a timely manner, understand?" she said, looking at them all pointedly.

"We will do our best to stay out of trouble, Dr. Weir," Teyla promised with a smile.

"Good. I'd hate to set the 'Days since last incident' chart to zero. Go get ready to head out, I'll have Rodney collect you when he's finished."

**. . .**

They flew through the Stargate and the sights changed drastically. Cooper had expected to see grass and trees, as had been the norm for most worlds, but this planet was rocky and slightly mountainous. That was hardly a surprise for a mining planet, but the crags and cliffs held a slight sense of foreboding in them.

"Coming in a little hard, sir, you might want to pull up," she suggested.

"I've got it, I've got it," he said, but she could tell he was somewhat distracted. Maybe she shouldn't have gotten so worked up yesterday.

They managed to land in one piece, though it was a little harder than usual and McKay made sure everyone knew the jostling was not good for his back. They suited up and left the jumper, hoping for a simple mission so they could just relax.

"So, dating the major," Sheppard said as they made their way down a wide path. It was a brave stab at conversation and it was the only innocent thing he could think to talk about at the moment.

"Uh... I guess," Cooper said. "Not much _dating_ to be done on Atlantis."

"He brought you to that vacation planet. Good move."

She snorted. "That was a mission, sir. He needed me to look at some runes on a wall."

"Sounds romantic," Ronon said.

"Who said it was a date?" she asked.

Sheppard glanced back and shrugged. "Might have been a loud-mouthed, jealous scientist."

"I hardly think jealous is the word here, Colonel," Rodney said bitingly from behind. "I needed her to decode important information we found in the Faloan's database, but the major decided his little crush was of higher priority."

"You're just mad that I don't take you to any nice vacation planets," Sheppard said with a smirk, making Teyla grin.

"We're approaching the nearest life signs," Rodney announced loudly. "Might have found a small village." He paused, brow furrowing. "Weird... This says we should be right in the middle-"

High-pitched yelling rang in their ears as figures descended from the rocks around. Sheppard's P-90 was at the ready, but he was unwilling to discharge it until he was sure these were enemies. "We come in peace!" he called, trying to take aim, but they were moving too much.

"Take them hostage!" barked one of the men.

"Looks like they're not interested," Cooper said, firing into the fray.

The moment became one of tangled confusion. So much dust and dirt was kicked up that Sheppard couldn't tell who he was shooting at. A bullet grazed his arm, which told him nobody else did, either. Then there was a hand on the back of his vest, dragging him backward and away from the fight. "Get the hell off me!" he snarled, trying to wrench himself out of their grip.

"Quiet," said Ronon, and the colonel instantly shut up, if only from surprise. The big man pulled him over to a cluster of rocks, where they hid and watched the rest of the events play out.

Not a minute later, the dust died down and they could see Teyla, Rodney, and Cooper on the ground. Teyla and Cooper were being stood upon, disarmed and still struggling, while Rodney seemed a little more willing to cooperate. "We'll take them to the camps. Kryan will know what to do," said one of the rough men, obviously the leader. The rest agreed, hauling the girls to their feet and pushing Rodney ahead. He was at spear-point and still babbling complaints.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Sheppard snapped when they were out of earshot.

"We were outnumbered and losing. It's easier to rescue them if we're not the ones captured," Ronon said, although Sheppard could see the dislike in his eyes.

He made a face. "That's very... tactical of you, Ronon."

He made a noncommittal grunt, then straightened up. "Come on. Let's follow them and see where they go."


	3. Chapter 3

Cooper, Teyla, and Rodney were shoved to their knees in the middle of a permanent encampment. Cooper could feel her shoulder had dislocated again, was trying to keep the tears of pain out of her eyes. It had happened after the fight, when one of the men got a little rough stripping her of her tac vest. She shouldn't have resisted so hard, but there was nothing for it now.

"Intruders!" called the leader of the party that attacked. "They came through the Ancient Ring!"

"Wraith sympathizers?" hissed grubby-looking woman.

"What? No, no, no you misunderstand. We fight the Wraith," Rodney insisted.

"Quiet, you," commanded the leader.

Another man stepped forth, this one older than the others, probably late forties or early fifties. He frowned at the prisoners, examining each in turn. "I told you there were five," he said lowly. "You have brought me three."

The fighter paled. "The - the other two must've got away, sir-"

"Find them!" he barked.

"Right away, sir." The fighter bowed, then motioned to a few of his men and took off.

The leader turned back to the three prisoners, looking down on them with disdain. "Have you come to see the sniveling whelps that run the mining colony?"

Cooper kept her mouth tight shut, but Rodney was not trained in the ways of being a POW. "Yes, yes, we're just looking to trade. We need some of the rocks you mine as a power source for- ow!"

The lieutenant mentally thanked Teyla for hitting the scientist, hoping it was enough for him to get the hint. "You any good at mining?" she asked the leader, forcing her voice to be controlled. "Because if not, we don't have much use for you."

He smirked. "Not in much of a position to be saying that, are you? Put them in the cave. Four guards. I don't want to take any chances."

They were dragged to their feet again and pushed through the camp to the edge, where they were bundled unceremoniously into a small cave. It was shallow, but with a high ceiling, about five feet deep and sixteen feet long. At least there was enough room for the three of them.

A set of blankets was draped over the entrance, probably to make the space seem more enclosed. A bit of the ceiling had been removed to allow some light to get in, but that was as far as the comforts went.

"Rodney," Cooper said, wincing as she sat on the floor. "I need your help."

He looked at her arm, face going gray. "Wh-why do you need my help? I'm not a medical kind of doctor."

"I know. This really isn't that hard, just do what I tell you."

He knelt down in front of her, nervously babbling about how the last time he tried to get medical was when Colonel Sheppard had a bug on his neck and that had about killed him. "It's not a bug, McKay, it's a dislocated shoulder. You'll be fine," she ground out through her teeth. "Come on, just put your hand here on my shoulder. Now take my arm, and then you're gonna pull. But don't jerk it, just steady - OW!"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry," he said, instantly backing away.

Well, it hurt like a son of a bitch, but at least the shoulder was back where it should be. "It's fine. Don't worry about it," she grunted, curling in on herself.

"I'm sorry. I get nervous and twitchy and I probably just pulled like five of your muscles."

"Are you alright, MJ?" Teyla asked.

"I'll be fine. I'm gonna get an earful from Beckett when we get back, though," she said. "What's our status?"

"Four guards outside, all of them strong. These people are rough and do not seem to be unified. They are not the miners we were sent to trade with," she said, looking at the doorway.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"These aren't anywhere near the miners we're looking for," Rodney said. "I got a good look at their equipment when we were being led here, and they aren't even technologically capable of the level of mining that comes from this planet. You don't get lapis nulla out of the ground using hammers and pickaxes."

"Yeah, well, for cavemen, they sure got the jump on us," Cooper said. "What the hell happened to Ronon and the colonel?"

"They must have escaped from the fight before the confusion cleared," Teyla said. "Perhaps they knew we were going to be captured and wanted to have the best chance at saving us."

The lieutenant made a face. "Yeah, but Ronon? Colonel Sheppard, I have a few doubts about, but I can't even picture the big guy stepping out of a fight to wait and make a move later."

"Maybe he's finally learning," Rodney said, slight condescension in his voice.

Teyla looked at the two, then at the door again. "Should we wait for them to rescue us, or form our own plans?"

Cooper bit her lip, leaning back against the wall. It was rough and uncomfortable, and she was not looking forward to spending a night here. "Let's start trying to figure something out. If we mess up their plans... oh well."

**. . .**

"Dammit," Sheppard muttered, watching from behind a rock formation as the rest of his team was put into a cave.

"We can take 'em," Ronon said, referring to the four guards.

"And what are you gonna do when the rest of the village comes after us? The proximity's too close." His lips were pressed together in a thin line as he surveyed the area. "Who the hell are these guys, anyway? They don't look like miners, they look like... hunter-gatherers." He looked down at the life signs detector in his hands. McKay had dropped it in the scuffle, which was lucky, or it would have been taken by said hunter-gatherers. Another large group of life signs was located somewhere in the distance, maybe a mile away. "We might have better luck at the next village. Maybe they're enemies of these guys. If not, well, we'll be careful this time so it won't matter."

"Should we contact Atlantis and let them know what's happened?" Ronon asked.

"I'd like to, but those guys that just went out to look for us are blocking our way to the jumper. It's either see what we find in the next town, or do some really athletic climbing."

Ronon frowned, but said nothing. Sheppard looked at him as they turned to leave, strangely unnerved by the man's cooperation. "Are you feelin' alright, Chewy?" he asked. "You're a little more docile than I'm comfy with."

"MJ was short with me after our sparring match yesterday," he said gruffly.

Sheppard didn't see how this applied to the situation. He'd thought the Satedan had tougher skin than that. "Well, I'm sure she didn't mean it. You _did_ give her a mild concussion."

"That's the problem," he said. "I was overeager. Didn't think about my actions. She got hurt."

"So you're looking to be a little more logical. Less 'point and shoot,'" Sheppard surmised.

Ronon nodded. "I tried to think a little more during the fight. I saw we were outnumbered, and with the space we were working with, it was too much even for me." He made a face, and the colonel could tell the admission left a bitter taste in his mouth. "I figured I could do more to help them from the outside."

"Well, you were right. From what I can see, there's not a lot to be done by getting taken prisoner." Sheppard glanced back at the way they'd come. "I still wanna know who the hell these guys are. Rodney and Teyla both said the people should be passive. And a little more up to date on their technology." He frowned, trying to see where they went wrong. Maybe they dialed the wrong planet entirely. They could have ended up in a different solar system for all he knew.

They arrived at the next town in less than an hour, but it looked drastically different from the camp. The surrounding stone had been cut neatly away, making room for a large collection of smooth buildings and small roads. Sheppard cocked his head, floored by the modern visage. "I thought most planets were pretty backwards, society-wise," he said. "On account of the Wraith killing them all before they advance, and everything."

"They've got enough technology to mine McKay's rock. Maybe they have a weapon they can use against the Wraith," Ronon said.

"Yeah, but then why are Robin Hood and his merry men out a mile away from the city?" he asked. "Alright, let's play this one carefully. I'll do the talking." He cleared his throat, then gathered his courage and stepped free of their cover. No one attacked. He signaled to Ronon, secretly hoping the Satedan's size and scary demeanor would ward off anyone with malicious intent, then they made their way down the path. At the city gates, someone appeared from the rocks. His P-90 was up before they could say 'gotcha.'

"Please, put down your weapon," called the man, raising his hands. "We are no threat to you, I promise."

"What's up with the savages back there?" Sheppard demanded, unwilling to give any leeway until he was sure they were safe.

The man looked sad and slightly annoyed. "They're rebels," he said. "People who don't know what's good for them."

"And what do you think is good for them?"

"Staying within the city walls. It's the only place that's safe, but they're convinced that what we do is oppression."

"Is it?"

"Step inside and you can find out for yourself."

He made a show of cocking the gun to make it apparent that he wasn't moving. He could hear Ronon charging up his own blaster a few feet back. The man swallowed, keeping his hands in the air. "I swear to you, we are not your enemies."

"Yeah, well I just got surprised and lost three of my friends, so forgive me if I'm a little jumpy," he said.

The man paled. "They took your friends? Hostage?" Sheppard nodded. "Then we don't have a lot of time."

"What do you mean?"

The man took a step back and opened the gates. "Come inside. I'll take you to our leader."


	4. Chapter 4

"Stop pacing. You're making me dizzy," Cooper said from the ground.

"Oh, sure, yeah, let me just make you more comfortable, Lieutenant," Rodney snapped. "I pace when I'm nervous. And I get hungry when I'm nervous, but they took all our food so now I'm just going to STARVE!" He looked deliberately at the doorway, as though anyone who could hear him cared. She didn't know why he bothered, as he'd yelled at the guards several times over the last hour and gotten no response.

"Relax, Rodney. Perhaps we should conserve our strength," Teyla advised. "We do not know when they will feed us, if they do at all."

"They have to feed us, we're prisoners!" he said.

"I highly doubt these guys were at the Geneva Convention," Cooper said dryly.

"No, we're hostages, understand? That means they want us for something. And I'm NO GOOD to anybody if I starve to death! You hear that? I am hypoglycemic! Have you ever seen somebody go into anaphylactic shock?"

Suddenly, the blanket snapped back as two guards stormed in. Teyla and Cooper got to their feet instantly while Rodney began backing away. "You wanna shut up?" one of them growled. "Sick and tired of hearing you whine."

"Then - then maybe you should give me what I ask for," he said resolutely. Cooper couldn't tell if he was brave or just stupid. "I'm not greedy, just hungry."

The man's lip curled as he looked back at his partner, then he pulled back his fist and slammed it into Rodney's face. Cooper seized his wrist and held fast. "Hit him again," she said lowly, blood boiling. Nobody hit McKay, not on her watch. He was a pain in the ass, but she didn't want to see him try to hold up under physical attack.

Teyla stepped in the path of the second man, making it clear that neither woman was about to let harm come to the scientist. The man in Cooper's grasp seemed to understand this, then yanked his hand away. "Stay quiet," he muttered, leaving the cave with his partner.

Cooper watched them go, then put her hand on Rodney's back. "You alright, McKay?"

"Yeah. No, I'm not, I think he dislocated my jaw," he said, hand on his chin as he worked his mouth.

"I don't think he hit you that hard," she said, stepping closer to the cave's entrance.

"Come, Rodney, let me see," Teyla said, gently putting her hand on his face.

"It hurts like hell. It's a wonder I even stayed standing."

"Yes, Rodney, you are very heroic."

"Damn right I am. I didn't see anybody else sticking up for our food."

Cooper tried to tune him out, listening to the conversation taking place outside.

"They want food," said one of the guards. "The fat one's making more noise than a baby about it."

"Then give them food," said the deep voice of the leader. "Why let them starve to death? My useless son has yet to come back with the other two, so it seems we'll be getting started without them. Just give them some bread to keep them going, what'll it hurt?"

"Yes, sir."

Son? So the creep that jumped the team at the pass was in high standing. Cooper filed the information away, then focused on the main problem. She'd been wondering why they were being held prisoner, instead of being instantly killed. For some reason, the natives thought the team was useful for something. She wished she knew what.

About ten minutes later, three plates of bread were passed under the blanket door, along with a pitcher of water. Rodney stared at the meal in disgust. "This is hardly enough to feed anybody!"

"You can have mine, McKay, I'm not hungry," Cooper said, continuing her slow circuit of the corner.

"How can you not be hungry? We've been here for an hour, two, maybe," he said.

"I'm just not, alright?" she snapped. "Why are you arguing?"

He set down his hunk of bread, looking annoyed. "Well, contrary to popular belief, I'm not a total ass. You need to eat, regardless of whether you want to, and if I take your portion, I'm just going to feel guilty later."

She looked over at him. "Even if you go into anaphylactic shock?"

"This bread is thick and hearty," Teyla said. "I do not think Rodney will suffer."

"See?" he said.

She sighed and sat down with the other two. "They need us for something," she said quietly, hoping the guards couldn't hear. "I heard them talking earlier. They have plans, they know there's something we can do for them. But I don't understand. We're just strangers that happened to come through the Stargate."

"Perhaps it was our weapons they found appealing," Teyla suggested.

"If that's what they wanted, they could have taken the guns and killed us."

"Not necessarily," McKay said around a mouthful of bread. "I mean, what good's the equipment if you can't use it, right? They didn't just take guns from us, they took my data pad and some other stuff I brought. From our tech alone, they probably figured we were smarter than they are. And might not be far off, either."

"That still doesn't tell me what they want us to do," Cooper said. "I'm climbin' the walls, here, I can't just sit around and wait for something to happen."

"We must have patience," Teyla said. "Colonel Sheppard and Ronon are probably on their way to freeing us as we speak. In the meantime, continue to listen at the door in case they say anything else of importance."

Cooper nodded and moved to sit by the doorway. "You got it."

**. . .**

"I understand you had an eventful journey in," said Malbar, whom Sheppard had been told was the mayor of the city, Clento.

"Yeah. The locals aren't exactly welcoming to strangers," he said. He and Ronon were in an office of sorts, with a window in one wall and a desk against another. They'd been led there by the gatekeeper, and had been able to tell from the city that this was the mining colony they were looking for.

"Halcan told me he informed you about the rebels," said the mayor. "Please understand, we tried to get them to stay, but they refused to see reason."

"What exactly made them leave?" Sheppard asked. "Your gate guy said the walls of the city were safe. Why risk your neck outside?"

Malbar sighed. "Unfortunately, with safety comes complacence. We have a shield that has held up against Wraith attack in the past, and it has been long since any have come for us. So long, in fact, that some people here have never even seen a Wraith. I try to keep people within the city walls, but there was a group, headed by a man named Kryan, that cried oppression. They broke away, and have since been plotting a take-over of the city."

"But your shields keep them out," Ronon guessed.

The mayor nodded, but unhappily. "That's our issue now. Our scouts watching the gate saw you come through and noticed your technology. We were going to intercept you, but by the time I sent someone, it was too late. The rebels had taken your friends, probably with the hope that they could dismantle our shields."

Sheppard let out a groan, running a hand over his face. The only person that could pull something like that off had been one of the ones to get captured. "What happens if they manage it?" he asked. "If they get in here, what will they do?"

"They'll kill me and have Kryan take my place," said Malbar. "After he is in charge, I assume he will attempt to branch out the city and allow for independent structures. The shield cannot handle such extension, and so next the Wraith see fit to come, there will be nothing to stop them."

"Do you have warriors?" Ronon asked. "Soldiers? Anyone who can raid the rebel camp and free the prisoners?"

"We're simple miners, my friend. That's why the shield is so important. We don't normally have much reason to fight."

"Well, your rebels think differently," Sheppard said. This frustration was starting to give him a headache. Of course something was going to go wrong today, he knew it would. At least Rodney was too useful to the rebels to be killed, but he didn't know about Teyla and Cooper. If these guys were anything like the criminals from Olesia, they wouldn't think twice about threatening the girls' lives to encourage Rodney's success. And, if he knew Rodney, the guy would stall for as long as he could.

As Sheppard thought through the predicament, Malbar was called from the room and encouraged his guests to simply ask if they needed anything. Sheppard was tempted to ask for an army, but knew petulance would get him nowhere.

"The girls aren't safe," Ronon said.

"No, but they're tough. If anything happens, they can at least buy themselves some time," the colonel said.

"We should go back to the jumper and use the weapons on that to break them out. It should be more than enough for what we need."

Sheppard made a face. "It's tempting, but we'll have to wait until the search party goes home. Blocking the way to the jumper, remember?" He strode to the window, looking down on the city and its sleek stone buildings. "Something doesn't feel right. Wraith don't leave people alone just because they have a shield. And I've got a sneaking suspicion Mayor Malbar is hiding something."

"Does he have to be?"

"Since when have we met a politician who wasn't? Don't take anybody at face value. I'm not exactly keen on siding with the rebels out there, but let's not put all our eggs in one basket."

Ronon joined him at the window, and Sheppard could feel the tension coming off of him in waves. "So what do we do?"

He looked up at the wild Satedan. "We stay calm and think of a plan. You go manhandling people around here like you always do, and I might have to shoot you."

"Fine," he growled. "Then we'd better think of something fast."


End file.
